BODYMIND AWARENESS
Paper Instructions:
In the paper enter: 1 - Any problems or discomfort you have experienced with any of the exercises.
2 - Past injuries you have concerns with.
3 - Include in the paper a brief description of your personal understanding of each of the Primary Topics:
Movement Efficiency, Postural Reorganization, Injury Prevention, Improved Coordination, Breath and Relaxation,
Sensory Awareness, Bioenergetic Awareness and Thought/Intention/Emotion. 10 POINTS.
4 - The interrelationship of the eight techniques [pages] introduced to you and described on this site: Alexander,
Bartenieff Fundamentals, Chi Kung, Dance, Feldenkrais, Tai Chi, Trager, and Yoga. 10 POINTS
5 - The three catagory pages: Physical, Mental and Elemental. 10 POINTS
These papers serve as a tool for the instructor to better understand your personal needs and progress. The papers are graded for your effort only, so submit them personal reactions and candid viewpoints. There are no right or wrong reactions to the exercises since everyone’s may differ.
Length: 500 word minimum. Less than 500 words: MINUS 30 POINTS
Paper Samples:
The first two papers were accepted and given credit for completing the 5 above requirements.
The third paper was not accepted nor given credit. It did not complete the 5 above requirements.
1
I have not experienced any major discomfort or pain. I have felt the pull of muscles when we have been stretching the back but nothing that has been unbearable or anything that has caused me concern. I can tell that the activities that we have been doing will help to loosen up my joints and muscles in my body. The relaxation during class has helped and will continue to help. I started off having trouble with the relaxation but it is becoming easier every time as I concentrate more and focus on what is being said. I have not had any major injuries during my lifetime to be concerned about. I am not worried about anything in particular. I have pulled muscles while running track in high school but that is the extent of my injuries. This class will help to prevent future injuries as I have already noticed a loosening of the body. This class has been going very well for me. Its helpful to work on different parts of my body and this class has a low pressure and low intensity way of doing it. My movement efficiency has definitely improved through the different exercised we use to work on getting our body to move more thoroughly and efficiently. Posture has always been a bad thing for me, so the posture reorganization has been a great thing for me. The injury prevention is important because when your body isn't used to many movements you have to work up to being able to do them without hurting yourself. The improved coordination has been nice for me. I used to play sports in high school so I find that aspect of our exercises comforting because I am pretty good at them. I used to do yoga, and one of my favorite parts was the breathing. So, the breath and relaxation we do is very nice, and it really helps me calm down. When we work on sensory awareness I find it important because being aware of your body is not something many people usually do, but its an important thing to understand yourself and be aware of how you are in your surroundings. The bio-energetic awareness is important for many of the reasons named, about being aware of yourself and your body. Thought, intention, and emotion are so important as well. To move with intention and to think about what your doing is the primary purpose of a combined mind body awareness.
There are three elements that are very important, elemental, physical, and mental. The elemental aspect has to do with a lot of things around you and in your environment. This includes the nutrition you put into your body, and thats important because it effects how your body feels. The physical aspect is important too. It has to do with the amount you work your body to do things and how healthy you keep it. A healthy body involves both good nutrition and working it constantly. Something your body also needs is to be in a good mental state. This is achieved by staying stress free and letting yourself let-go sometimes.
2
Throughout the quarter we have experienced a few different types of techniques that come into play and work together to give the full effect of an exercise. They all somehow connect and help make the experience that much better. Movement efficiency to my understanding is only moving the necessary body parts to get the affect you are looking for. It helps in many different exercises we have discussed and done. Postural reorganization is very vital in the things we have done because to get a good relaxing workout, you must have your spine aligned or else certain parts of your body will be tight and uncomfortable. This is when you sit or stand up straight and move your body in the order or vertebrae and they align. This class can be very helpful in injury prevention because we have seen different stretching techniques and also with the Tai Chi we saw ways to use our bodies to prevent injury. By moving with someone who comes at you, they feel the force and you do not. The impact is never there, and that is a very useful thing to know. Breathing and relaxation is present all the time in what we do. To do certain exercises correctly, you must relax and breathe and that helps complete the exercise. If you held your breath while doing an exercise you would feel awfully uncomfortable and would get nothing out of it, because you would not be focused. I think that in what we are doing and have done my coordination could be improved. Just by the ways we are taught to move and to use balance helps the body and the mind coordinate together. Sensory awareness is just noticing and being aware of what is around us and what feels comfortable or not. It helps us to be aware of our body and what it is doing and where it is laying. To be able to do this we must be relaxed and breathe and focus on what we are doing. Bioenergetic awareness really is just being aware of our bodies and syncing them with our minds. Thought, intention, and emotion all play a big role because they complete just about every technique. You have to want to get something out of what you’re doing to actually get something out of it. You must feel the exercise and put everything you have into it and just clear your mind and think only of what you are doing. This will help to get the full affect of every technique and exercise.
I have enjoyed this class so much and really have gotten a lot out of it. I love the fact that I am more aware of my body and what it needs and what it does. Clearing my thoughts and not worrying about anything else except for what we are doing is wonderful and I am looking forward to everything else we are going to do.
3
After the first two classes I felt a tension in my back. But after I relaxed, the tension started to go away. After the third class my stress levels have started to deplete. I have more on my plate but, I am less stressed. Also at night, when school started I could not sleep at night, I am sleeping now. The night of the first Wednesday class I lied in bed and I thought of what we did that morning in class, just letting the thought of body and floor go and just become one with everything around me. Well I did this but, with my mattress, I woke up the next morning feeling great. Each class has continued to be an improvement. I am glad I have chosen this course. Thank You!